


Blue Fire in the Eyes

by quailbirdbb



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alcor is baby, Alcor just wants to know what’s wrong with his dad, Basically Dipper is Bill’s Son, Bill is trying, Bill keeps on getting vibe checked, Family Drama, Gen, Gleeful twins are dramatic assholes, Gravity Falls - Freeform, Will is a good Uncle, at least that’s what he thinks, he’s not getting the memo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21922375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quailbirdbb/pseuds/quailbirdbb
Summary: Dipper was never Mabel’s brother.Forever and always, we was Alcor Cipher..Alcor can't seem to do the one thing a dream demon is supposed to do; and it seems like the disappointment of everyone watching him is weighing him down. He knows he can do it; he knows. But a deep feeling in his chest that can't seem to go away is making him hesitate.Bill isn't acting the same after his years-long encounter with Stanford Pines. Something is different in the dream demon; something steely and cold and tense, unlike the warm and mischievous and admittedly chaotic demon Alcor had always known.Will wants to finally get involved with his family after so many centuries of silence. He knows he can let his guard down around his flesh and blood. Though, his brother's behavior is rising his suspicions, and his concern for both his brother and his offspring is only growing. But behind the scenes, the consequences of his decisions were seen a little too late.Alcor learns that humans are a little stronger than he had expected, and he'd be damned if he ever let them tear apart his family.
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Dipper Pines, Bill Cipher & Will Cipher, Will Cipher & Dipper Pines
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	1. Liar, Liar

"Bill!" Yowled a voice, echoing through the halls of the home base, footsteps tapping in a quick rhythm. The smooth,white and creamy colored almost-glassy walls giving off distant, wavy reflections of him as he ran past. Baby blue eyes darted around, dilated with worry. "Bill? Where are you?"

Where could he be? After all, he did say it was an urgent matter. A _very urgent_ matter.

So where was Bill?

Panic that had already begun to settle in his chest grew almost suffocatingly; multiplying by the seconds.

Will paused, freezing up, whirling around as he recognized a faint aura near him. It may have been a mistake; a simple error; an illusion as a result of fear; but the presence was so much like Bill's.

It was the same powerful, relaxed aura that Will had grown accustomed to while they were still demonlings. Even if it's been a few centuries since they had last encountered one another, Will would know his brother's aura anywhere.

But this presence... was somewhat different than Bill's.

While the blond demon's aura was that of a flaunting power; of a warm, tingly fire that presented as a warning not to come any closer unless wanted to be burned; this aura was softer, more of a mischievous presence of power than a warning symbol.

This was Bill, yet this was not Bill.

Yet, Will tested the waters anyways. "Bill...?"

"Who are you?" Piped a young voice, cautious and distrusting, and Will jumped, the hairs at the back of his neck ticklish as he turned to face the newcomer in a quick, desperate movement.

Will's baby blue eyes met golden ones, and the two demons stared at one another from across the hall.

"You're not Bill." Murmured Will weakly, heart fluttering in its beats with mild, confused fear.

The not-Bill hissed. "And neither are you, yet here we are."

—Four Years Later—

Bright, golden eyes peered up at him, sparking with impatient, eager wonder. For a moment, everything was still; even his own breaths. No, he daren't breathe. Not when those familiar eyes seemed to stare into his own of the same captivating color.

No, not when his own kin, his own offspring, was there, staring, waiting, for his next move.

"Alcor." Bill murmured, almost numbly, his jaw feeling just about slack with shock. "I... I didn't..." The demon shook his head. "I didn't realize how much I would miss you when I went after Sixer."

Alcor provided the older a small, awkwardly placed smile. "Sixer is stuck in another dimension now." A pause. "You didn't have to leave, you know, Dad." He reasoned softly, his thin, small bat wings fluttering slightly as a cool rush of wind hushed through the dark dimension.

"It was a priority." The blond defended himself, though it sounded lame to even his own ears. "Sixer could've been the key to world domination... but I guess I could lay back for a few years while he's... out."

"Yes." Alcor replied, though a certain sadness casted over his gaze. It was hard to spot; as his eyes fixed on the ground at that moment. "That sounds nice..."

The brunet leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Bill's waist, burying his face at his father's torso. "I missed you."

The dream demon stood unresponsively at his kin before taking in a sharp intake of breath. Carefully, he returned the hug, selectively nesting his head on top of Alcor's. For a moment, the brunet’s hair tickled at his face, but he quickly became accustomed to it.

Yes, here Alcor was. The boy's scent of pine trees and a tang of mysterious sweetness so very familiar to Bill that sent him into a nostalgic state even though it's only been a handful of years, not a lifetime.

Shit, but it sure did feel like a lifetime.

"I missed you too, kid." He uttered into Alcor's hair.

A genuine, authentic statement.

For a handful of moments, they stayed in that position, the closest they've been to one another in years.

Bill was the one that pulled away.

"Let's get to the base." The blond said, carefully wiggling away. His tone was hinted with sheepishness, as if embarrassed he was the victim of a hug. "Have you behaved for Will?"

"Yessm." Replied the brunet, sending his father a sharp smile. "You should've told us that he would be babysitting me, instead of telling him to report to the base for an emergency and coming across me. You do realize how awkward that meeting was?"

Bill only laughed, and Alcor continued.

"Scared him shitless, on accident. He scared me too. We didn't start on very good terms."

The blond demon shrugged, weighing the option of apologizing for having to leave so soon, but in the end no words came from his mouth. All he really wanted to do was drop where he stood and take a long nap, but that would have to wait until after he talked to Will.

——

The moment the duo wandered into home territory, Alcor was tackled into a hug by a blue blur. "Alcor!" Cried the nostalgic voice of Will, the demon's tone sending off waves of relief into the atmosphere.

Almost frantically, Will clawed his nephew closer to him, pushing the younger demon's head under his own. "You ran off! Where did you go? Please, you can't keep doing this, Alcor!" Pled the male, nuzzling at the brunet. Will's heart skipped a beat, seeming to finally notice the strong, familiar aura beside him, and breathlessly, he flicked his gaze to meet Bill's own.

Now, Will was a very harmless-looking creature for a demon. In contrast to Bill's solid, fiery golden eyes, Will's were a fluffy, soft blue that held a certain look of timidness. Unlike Bill's blond hair, Will's was a shade of pastel cyan. All in all, while Bill and Will were, in terms, twins, their personalities seemed to be polar opposites.

No, Will was anything but brave, and Bill was anything but shy.

Now, though, in the heat of the moment, in the state of shock, it seemed as if that statement didn't apply. Will was frowning at him.

"Hello, little brother." Bill greeted almost awkwardly, but he managed to keep his tone and expression passive.

"Hello brother." Will returned politely, words quiet. On nervous habit, he began to absentmindedly fiddle with Alcor's hair. "Where have you been?" He didn't need to ask. He already knew; Bill knew that, and obviously so did Will.

The older demon shrugged. "Places." Was all he replied with, averting his eyes in a casual attempt. He knew Will was a sucker for affection, so Bill pressed himself beside his two family members, slinging his arms over the both of them and settling into a hug.

"Look, I was gone for a few years, yeah, but that doesn't change anything." The eldest demon reasoned with a small shrug. "I'm here now."

Will's eyes went downcast, his emotional gaze fixed on the hand he had brushing through Alcor's hair. It was a sign of discomfort, maybe? _No_ , Bill continued, _Will was mad at him._

He had to face away from his twin in order to hide the small, growing smile of immature amusement pulling at his lips. When he had finally fought back the action, he turned back to face Will.

"Will." The golden-eyed demon simply said, and the blue demon let out a choked sob. Will leaned into Bill's half-hearted hug with a disgruntled huff.

"You and Alcor seem to vanish out of nowhere, often. I hope it isn't a habit."

Bill couldn't provide a sensible response to that.


	2. Relief of a Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alcor is noticing that Bill isn’t quite himself. He doesn’t think much of it.

"It was... difficult to occasionally slip away from the Gleeful twins when I had to check on Alcor." Will murmured quietly to Bill, rubbing his elbow as they walked. Alcor kept an even pace along side them, his brows raising in curiosity at the adults' discussion.

The young demon found it interesting that they talked about him as if he wasn't there. Though, he didn't intervene.

Bill turned his shining eyes towards the blue demon. Briefly, alarm flashed in his gaze. Will knew the question before Bill had even begun to open his mouth, but he made no move to stop it. "Have they ever followed you?"

Hesitation, then Will shook his head. "I don't think so." He muttered. "Otherwise, I would surely not be here." 

The younger dream demon averted his gaze to the ground before trailing up to the path ahead of them as he continued. "But, after a handful of times I've disappeared, they started to... take notice. They weren't too happy. These past few years, I've learned quite a thing or two about stealth." Then; "I hope they don't suspect anything too deeply and decide to track me down..."

"Be careful." Bill warned him. His gaze flicked down to Alcor's own, and he seemed to take something in consideration before adding; "That doesn't mean you can't visit Alcor and I, however. I hope to see you more, brother."

Something like glee sparkled in Alcor's eyes. At the same time, the hard, calculating look in Will's eyes that had lingered ever since Bill showed up again softened as he gazed on at the yellow demon.

"I would like that." Will admitted softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. For a few moments, the three demons strutted along in a sense of calmness before Will spoke up again. "I... I should go before my masters become aware of the lack of my presence." He stated, and Bill nodded.

"We'll see you soon, though, right uncle?" Piped Alcor, his small wings fluttering.

Slowly, Will nodded. "Yes..." He concluded. The blue-eyed demon gave Alcor a quick hug, then lightly touched Bill's shoulder in an attempt at saying good bye, before turning and splitting ways.

Bill decided not to linger on how much it offended him that he didn't give him a hug, too.

Carefully, the yellow demon peered at the young demon walking at his side.

The only thing that tied Alcor's appearance to Bill's were the golden eyes that sparkled as he looked on ahead, though they were rounder; more childish; and the hidden blond hairs that could only be seen if the light hit just right against his brunet hair. One thing Bill did _not_ understand were the bat wings that were neatly folded on his back; something Alcor inherited from neither Bill or his mother. Though, he figured one of their family ancestors had had wings themself, and thus passed this gene down to Alcor.

Of course, the wings weren't fit for flying. They were too thin and small to carry Alcor's weight.

Perhaps the time would come for them to be large enough to take flight in the years to come.

"Dad?" Alcor's voice snapped Bill it of his thoughts. The blond demon blinked down at the teen questioningly, and Alcor continued. 

"I've been practicing my powers." He worded carefully, studying his father for approval. "Will helped me a bit. I know how to teleport now."

Slowly, Bill nodded. Alcor had always had some trouble in the art of teleportation. It had always been much easier for him to teleport objects than himself and other living things.

"That's wonderful, Alcor." The dream demon purred. "Show me.”

Hesitation flashed across the demon teen's face, his nose wrinkling as he cringed. 

  
"Well." He drawled. "I'm not... that good at it. I've just managed to do it once or twice. Out of chance." Alcor turned his worrying gaze towards his father. "But I swear I have the ability to do it!"

"I don't doubt that." Bill agreed, sending the brunet a mischievous grin. "Calm down, Pine Tree."

Alcor stuck his tongue out at the older demon, but the blond was already moving on.

"We should return to your training." Bill said thoughtfully, and Alcor shrugged, eyes bright with playfulness.

"Maybe not." Alcor bubbled. The younger demon poked his father's chest. "You're exhausted, right? I know because the walls you have around your mind that you're _surprisingly_ keeping up to prevent me from reading your thoughts are slowly crumbling down. Just for your information. No biggie." He batted his eyelashes up at the older demon's surprised face.

"Oh." Was all Bill uttered, almost guiltily. Alcor sensed the walls around his mind upping its defense.

"I _am_ tired." Bill admitted, a lopsided smile on his lips. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, some sleep would do me good."

The older demon ruffled Alcor's hair. "Don't do anything I would do." He warned before turning away, retreating to his chambers.

——

There was distrust. No, maybe not _that_. Nothing quite so low, surely. Perhaps it was just the fact that it had been years since they had last been together.

Maybe, during that time, familiarities sunk.

Alcor would never lose faith in his father for the world.

Bill, however, was more complex than his offspring. Alcor wasn't quite sure of his father's genuine feelings.

That was okay though, because Alcor knew they could build up again. The brunet was aware that the dream demon was fond of him.

Perhaps Bill was just distracted by his long trip elsewhere. Perhaps the demon was just tired, like he had previously stated.

Hopefully, his father would soon open up to him.

Now, in the dark, watching Bill occasionally and restlessly shift in his sleep, Alcor sat by his bedside. 

Whenever Alcor had had a nightmare during those long nights, the yellow demon would sense the loudness and scrambled fear in the brunet’s thoughts. The older creature would stay by his side for the rest of the night, sometimes crooning softly to the boy, other times choosing to stay in silence. He would control his dreams and alter them into something more pleasing for his young, afraid mind.

Now though, it seemed like the tables had turned.

Alcor nested himself at his father's side, nuzzling his face to the older demon's chest. Almost on instinct, Bill's arm slung across him. Drowsy, golden eyes peered at him through the dark. "Hm..?"

"Nothing." Alcor whispered, closing his eyes. Absentmindedly, he placed his hand at Bill's temple. He noted that Bill had fallen quiet, quickly back into his slumber.

He took a deep breath, cringing at the waves of negativity that he could sense from Bill's thoughts. His powers tingled at his palms, and with that, he sent a careful, lulling sensation through the older demon's mind.

Minutes later, Alcor slipped into a similar rest.


	3. The Deep End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn’t Bill anymore.

"Alright, Alcor." Bill announced, circling his offspring. "You may have learned a thing or two from Will, but you're yet to even begin to master all of your powers." The golden-eyed creature gestured to Will; the demon watching them from the sidelines with attentive, curious eyes. "What have you taught him?"

"He has a handy amount of balance in handling his fire." Will stated, his relaxed expression not changing, but his words were warm with pride. "Not to the extent of an expert, but if attacked I believe Alcor could hold himself steady."

"That all?" Bill questioned, and Alcor's gaze flicked up in surprise at the older demon who was staring at Will for another response. Somehow, that statement had hurt.

Will seemed to be surprised too, and Bill frowned as the blue demon's eyes suddenly steeled. "Will?"

"Yes." The blue demon whispered, nodding. "That is all that he's just about perfected. He has started training in teleportation and materialization. He had materialize small things; pens, cups, rocks. Not anything larger than a book, yet, and no living organisms, but we're getting there. His levitating skills are also as top notch as they always are."

"That's good." Mused Bill, giving Alcor an approving smile. "Good job, Pine Tree."

The brunet nodded, unable to fight back the grin that split across his face at the fraise. It quickly diminished, though, as the blond demon adopted a calculating look as he examined his offspring.

"Will, what's his status at manipulating dreams? Can he enter them? Warp them?" Bill mused, and Alcor instantly sobered, a shadowed, blank look overcasting his eyes as he averted his gaze away from Bill's own.

The blue demon hesitated. "Well." He mumbled. "No, not from what I've seen, not yet."

Bill slowly nodded, and Alcor had to at least attempt to swallow down the embarrassment in his throat.

"We'll get there." Bill soothed in a monotoned voice, noticing Alcor's expression. "Don't worry, Pine Tree. You're a dream demon, after all."

Will nodded along to his brother, smiling. "Yes. The latest flower blooms the prettiest."

Alcor offered a smile towards the blue demon.

There were a few beats of silence as Bill flicked his golden eyes between the two of them before he cleared his throat, his mood suddenly swaying into a more bitter tone. 

"Alcor." He said curtly, and his offspring turned to look at him. "Let's work on that fire of yours."

——

Will calmly caught up to Bill in one of the many walls of the Fearamid, hours after Alcor's training, a soft look on his face as he smiled awkwardly at his twin. "Hello, Bill."

Said demon blinked, mildly startled at his brother's appearance, but deciding to humor him anyways. 

"Hello, Will." He turned his bright eyes towards Will's unwavering own. "Say, I thought you left somewhere in between Alcor's training session."

The blue demon slowly nodded. "Yes, I did. I didn't want to be caught by my masters by staying for too long." He explained. "I wasn't planning on returning today, but the twins are asleep, and we haven't had a one-on-one discussion yet."

Bill rolled his eyes at that, and Will sheepishly stammered to elaborate. "W-well, you've been gone for so long, and I just really felt like the two of us should just have a nice, classic talk. Ya'know?"

"Okay." The yellow demon drawled dryly. "Humor me."

Will sighed, and Bill briefly considered apologizing for his tone, but before he could come to a conclusion, the blue demon spoke up. "How have you been?"

The golden-eyed creature took a few seconds too long to process the question. When he did, he intentionally didn't answer for a few more beats, turning away to gaze at the marble walls that made up the pyramid fortress, spotting his mangled reflection in the glossy material if he looked hard enough.

"I'm thriving, Will." Bill said finally, a sharp-toothed grin splitting across his face almost sinisterly as he redirected his eyes to Will's. "What about you, oh dear brother of mine?"

A tiny tremor tickled up Will's spine, and his heart skipped a beat nervously. "I'm okay..." he replied weakly, refusing to make eye contact with him, even when Bill leaned forward a bit as if to try to catch his eye.

"What's bothering you, Will?"

The blue-haired demon shook his head. "Nothing." He whispered almost breathlessly, the answer too quick to not be suspicious. "I just... I just noticed how much you've changed." Will squinted his blue eyes at the older demon. "That's all."

They held one another's gazes for what seemed like forever before Will turned away.

"I should get back to my dimension." He dismissed, swallowing an uneasy feeling in his throat. "I shouldn't be long for too long, especially while the Gleeful twins are still suspicious of me and my repeating disappearances."

Bill's sharp gaze lingered on Will's form before he turned away too, blinking lazily. "You don't have to explain the same thing every time you have to go. It gets boring." He droned. "Just leave."

Will did just that, tongue too caught to say goodbye to his brother.

——

Alcor watched his light blue flames flicker among his palm, the coolness of the fire familiar against his skin. The brunet could remember, once, when he was younger, he had believed that the fire might have burned him from the heat, but when he did manage to start a flame, the young demon discovered that the fire was anything but hot.

Slowly, Alcor took the flame and experimentally switched it to settle on his other hand. He repeated this for a handful of times before finally holding it between both of his hands. Gradually, as his hands provided more space for the flame, the fire grew larger.

The blaze's blue light danced across his face and reflected off of his attentive eyes. The illumination softly lit up his dark room with a dim light.

The brunette blinked tiredly, eyes heavy, and his gaze flicked to the ground and his flames flickered out of existence.

From a very short distance away, something snarled out a loud noise, and Alcor sprang up from his bed. His heart lurched with fear. The young dream demon whirled around, searching his room frantically for the cause of the noise. 

It hadn't come from where he was.

Pausing, he held his breath and braced the suffocating moment of silence before a wave of furious distress slammed against his skull; a furious distress that wasn't his.

No, this was Bill's distress.

The sounds came from the older demon's thoughts and mind, the emotions so forceful and overwhelming that it broke the wall that Bill had skillfully crafted around his mind when he had returned home.

Alcor cringed, biting his tongue as a fresh wave of his father's roaring thoughts washed over him.

He flung open the door, accidentally skidding on the obsidian flooring, almost slamming into the marble wall, and took off through the shadowed hallway.

_Dad_! Alcor mentally sent towards the blonde demon as he searched, hoping that Bill would catch and read his thoughts. _Dad, where are you?_

He was given no more than a mental shout in response.

Alcor found him in his respected room, the door wide open and Bill curled up on the ground at the foot of his bed. The brunet hesitated, flinching as the thoughts became unbearably louder. Still, he retreated to his father's side.

"Dad?" Squeaked the twelve-year-old, placing a timid hand on the blond's shoulder. Almost as if flicking a switch, the mental wall around Bill's mind formed up again weakly, as if the older demon didn't want whatever he was thinking to be discovered by his offspring.

Alcor could no longer decipher what was going on in his head, even if the wall was faulty and half-hearted. All that met his already-aching head were jumbled, echoed noises that beat at his brain. The smaller demon let out a soft grunt of pain before going slack at his father's side.

Carefully, he wiggled himself under the distressed demon in such a way that his body acted like a pillow for Bill's head. He ran his hand through Bill's blond hair in a rhythmic pattern, but the demon made it clear that he didn't appreciate that.

The older demon sat up straight elbowing Alcor's startled hand away. Mutely, Bill sat cross-legged, back to his offspring. His mind had quieted; or he had built up a strong enough mental wall that Alcor couldn't read his thoughts anymore. The brunet sadly assumed it to be the later one.

"Dad. . ?" He murmured faintly, and for a split second Bill's breathing quickened, but he quickly recovered.

"Yes, Pine Tree?"

Regaining confidence, Alcor scooted towards his father, replacing his hand on his shoulder in a ghost of a touch. "Are you okay?"

"Thriving." Breathed Bill softly, and Alcor's worry only increased.

"You. . . What happened to you? You went crazy Dad." Said the demon, and Bill tilted his head up to the ceiling, a throaty, short chuckle slipping from his mouth.

"Crazy." Bill repeated. "Aren't we all, kid?" He questioned, gazing down at his offspring as Alcor took hold of his hand.

"Dad?"

For a moment they held their gazes in silence before Bill roughly wrenched his hand from Alcor's hand, turning away. "There are differences between the mortals and us, little star."

Alcor blinked at Bill, confused, suddenly feeling faint. "What?"

"Differences." Repeated the older demon, tone even. "The mortals live for less than a century. We live for thousands of years, Alcor."

"But we do die in the end." Pointed out the brunet, accepting the change of topic. "In a way, we're all mortals."

Bill snorted. "We can't compare our species to theirs."

Alcor took a moment to study his father. "You've changed since you went after Sixer."

Another small laugh from the dream demon. "You know," He started. "Will said the same thing." The blond shook his head. "You both say it like it's a bad thing! It's not. I've just heightened my awareness."

Sharp, golden eyes met young, golden ones.

"Humans are weighed down by their emotions." Bill informed, voice a whisper. "I've seen it before, but seeing it again after all those years I spent in the nightmare realm. . ." He closed his eyes. "We are demons, Alcor. We are superior beings. We cannot feel emotions unless we want to be taken down."

At this, Alcor recoiled. "No feelings? Dad, we feel things all the time! For example—."

"Stop!" Roared the demon, suddenly rising to his feet, towering over the taken-off-guard brunet. Bill paused, timidly placing a hand on his temple, in mild distress. "I. . ."

A shake of his head, and the anger returned to his face, red flashing over his usually-yellow color scheme before settling back to his standard yellow. "We are above those stupid mortals and their cursed feelings." He hissed, his blue flames suddenly flaring up in the room before vanishing as if wasn't there in the first place. "We are dream demons! Creatures of destruction, Alcor! I am a chaos creator; havoc breaker! Demons are demons for a single god damned reason!"

They shared a short, tense breath together as they stared. Bill's searching gaze flared into one of coldness. Blue fire danced in his emotion-lacking eyes.

"But I wouldn't expect a demon who can't do what they were bred to do to understand that, and it was dumb of me to think otherwise."

Alcor had nightmares that night.

Bill didn't come to his aid.


End file.
